Ironman Report: Chappell Stars

Despite the brutally hot conditions for the Ironman Triathlon last Saturday in Hawaii, three athletes from Central Florida were able to turn in impressive performances.

Don Tannery, 51, of Tavares, Brooke Messerole, 40, of Altamonte Springs, and Dr. Chris Chappell, 39, of Kissimmee, competed in the 2.5-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile road race with temperatures in the high 90s. On the course through the lava pits, where the bike race was held, the temperature was reported at more than 105 degrees.

Chappell, a former All-America swimmer, had a remarkable finish in his first trip to the event, with a time of 10 hours, 10 minutes and 30.1 seconds, good for 66th overall among the 1,000-plus finishers. He was third in his age group.

Messerole also posted a solid finish time with an 11:30:56.5 clocking.

Tannery, the only one of the three who had competed in the Ironman before, had the most trouble with the heat. He was forced to drop out 75 miles into the bike race because of heat exhaustion and a severe lack of fluids. Tannery beat his best split in the swim by more than 15 minutes but was stricken with leg cramps and nausea before withdrawing.

The Dick Batchelor 5-kilometer Run for the Children, the third event in the Track Shack Grand Prix Race Series, is set to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Rosemont Golf and Country Club in Orlando. More than 1,000 runners are expected for the event to benefit the Child Protection Team at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

The course loops around Lake Orlando in the Rosemont subdivision off U.S. 441, north of Lee Road. In addition to the usual awards in the 28 male and female age groups, special prizes will be given to the individuals who collect the most sponsorship money. First prize is two round-trip tickets to Bermuda. The world's richest single payday for a 10-kilometer race will be held next Feb. 8 on the island of Bali. Indonesian promoters of the Bob Hasan Bali 10K are offering $130,000 to be divided among the top three male and female finishers.

Another $350,000 in bonus money will be paid to runners who break world records during the event.

The race already has attracted the attention of Alberto Salazar, Rob DeCastella, women's world record-holder Ingrid Kristiansen, who has been training in Orlando, Michael Musyoki and Mark Nenow. Hasan, the vice-president of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, has hopes of turning the race into an annual, world-class event.